Caught in tumultuous seas off the coast of northern California in 1865, the 220-foot sidewheeler S.S. Brother Jonathan skidded down the face of a massive wave and slammed into an uncharted reef. She sank with a cache of gold bars and coins and 225 souls aboard—prospectors, dignitaries, card sharks, families, and even a notorious madam and seven of her "soiled doves." Only 19 people in a battered lifeboat made it to shore, while the ship's lost treasure would become part of Pacific lore, until it was found in 1993. Dennis Powers give us the gripping tale of the ship's final moments and the story of its rediscovery by salvager Don Knight—as well as the precedent-setting legal battles Knight faced after his recovery efforts.

"Powers' narrative grabs and holds with its rich details of 19th-century seafaring and modern treasure salvaging. It proves that even technology has not drawn the teeth of the sea, let alone those of lawyers, and it will certainly win Powers' target audience of 'those who love the sea and its boundless treasures'."—Booklist